Description:

This paper discusses the characteristic behavioral differences that manifest themselves in distinctly different patterns of substance abuse between males and females. The paper further examines the functions of social and cultural development that promote masculine and female responses to some of the stressors thought to be involved in the causation of drug addiction. First, the paper examines the impact of drug abuse on interpersonal relationships. Then, it considers the role of enablers in the addiction cycle. Finally, the paper explores factors that influence the drug abuser to seek help and treatment, again in light of gender differences. Finally, the paper explores drug abuse within the larger framework of public policy in America, finding current laws to be overly harsh.

Outline:

Socio-cultural Aspects of Gender-based Dependency
The Effect of Drug Abuse on Individuals and Interpersonal Relationships
Psychological Enabling of Drug Abuse Behaviors
Social and Psychological Issues Affecting Motivation to Seek Help
Contextual Factors in Treatment
Public Policy and Drug Abuse in American Society

From the Paper:

"There is substantial reason to believe that the so-called "War on Drugs" has been a tremendous waste of government resources and public funds as well as an unnecessary source of social problems that may exceed the magnitude of the specific harms that harsh drug laws were designed to address (Dershowitz, 2002). That is especially true with respect to marijuana because the evidence strongly suggests that prohibition is a tremendously ineffective and inefficient approach to any legitimate harm potentially associated with recreational marijuana use. In many respects, the problems with the contemporary illegal status of marijuana is precisely the same as those that made alcohol prohibition so impractical and detrimental to society that it was repealed after a decade-long Prohibition Era in 1930 (Dershowitz, 2002; Farwell, 2008).
"In principle, there is much more of a basis for prohibiting the recreational use of other drugs such as cocaine, speed, and heroin, mainly because of the nature of the harm they represent to the individual user. That is why many critics of the current approach of U.S. authorities to illicit drug use suggest that legalizing and taxing marijuana (in particular) is a much more effective and sensible way of addressing any potential harms associated with its recreational use."